Conditional approval has been recommended to controversial housing plans in Ryde despite a petition, 570 objections and human rights concerns.
Set to be discussed at the Isle of Wight Council’s planning committee next week, the development of Westridge Farm into West Acre Park has been partially determined by planning officers.
Ryde’s last dairy farm
The major development would see Ryde’s last dairy farm turned into 473 houses, a cafe with public toilets, doctor’s surgery, office space and ten hectares of natural greenspace.
National planning policies say 35 per cent of the houses will need to be affordable in a mixture of 166 one, two and three-bed properties.
The remaining 307, as proposed by applicants Westridge Village (IOW) (part of Captiva Homes), will be for private sale as two, three and four-bed properties.
Section 106 agreement
Should the approval be granted, a section 106 agreement would provide allotments, three public rights of way, improvements to highways, including at Westridge Cross and the junction between Smallbrook Lane and Great Preston Road, as well as nearly £1.7m towards a children’s services or education facility.
Heavy objection
The plans have been met with 570 objections, including from local councillors and the Isle of Wight Conservative MP, Bob Seely, and more than 4,700 people signing a petition to save the farm.
Main points of concern included the inadequate infrastructure of Ryde and the Island, the impact on highways and the traffic generation and overdevelopment of the site.
Ryde Town Council completed its own consultation and found although new housing was required, it should be affordable and for residents.
However, there was a strong feeling that the proposed site was not suitable.
Community farm proposals
The town council voted earlier this month to support the idea of Westridge Farm becoming a community farm and to apply to the Isle of Wight Council for it to be listed as a community asset.
Deputy mayor of Ryde Jenna Sabine told the council meeting of the ‘heartbreaking’ personal side of the development which could see farming family the Hollidays lose their home and business despite signing an agricultural tenancy agreement in the 1960s which allowed three generations of farmers to be on the land.
IWC: Development be appropriate and sustainable for the land
Numerous commenters said the scheme should be built on brownfield land and the farmland protected, but in the Isle of Wight Council officers’ report, it was determined the development would be appropriate and sustainable for the land.
Officers said the land quality was good to moderate but only 8.875 hectares of the best and most versatile agricultural land would be lost, which was not ‘unacceptable’.
Breach of the Hollidays’ human rights
It had also been suggested that building on the land would breach the Hollidays’ human rights and the right to respect for private and family life, but officers said although it was an emotive issue, having balanced the benefits of the development and the under-provision of housing on the Island, the principle of housing was acceptable.
Another issue was whether the houses would be available to Islanders, and while officers said the private dwellings could not be gated, the 166 affordable units would be available firstly to those in Ryde, then neighbouring parishes, as well as being made available on the Island’s Homefinder website.
The council’s planning committee will meet next Tuesday, 27th July, to determine the application.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is part of. Read here to find about more about how that scheme works on the Island. Some alterations and additions may have been made by News OnTheWight. Ed
Image: Daniel McCullough under CC BY 2.0
